


From One To Three

by controlofwhatido



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Angst, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 21:30:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7908274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/controlofwhatido/pseuds/controlofwhatido
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darren hasn’t spoken to Chris in three years, but when Chris texts him in the middle of the night one night, asking for Darren to come over -- Darren doesn’t even think twice before he’s getting in his car. What he finds out that night that will change both of their lives forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [Luckiedee](www.tumblr.com/luckiedee) for beta'ing this even though you're not a fan of mpreg. :)
> 
> Check out the fantastic artwork by Mikaoru [here](http://mikaoru.tumblr.com/post/149716165588/photoset-for-controlofwhatidos-ccbb-2016)!
> 
>  
> 
> Written for Round 4 of the CrissColfer Big Bang.

**From Chris:** Can you come over?

The notification from his phone startles Darren awake, and he fumbles for it, almost knocking it to the floor before he gets a firm grip on it and rolls onto his back, eyes too blurry to see anything. 

He needs his glasses, but he left them by the piano and that’s much too far of a walk at two o’clock in the morning. All he can make out on the screen is that it’s a text from Chris -- but that can’t be right, he hasn’t spoken with Chris in almost three years. He must be dreaming. 

Before he has a chance to squint and try to decipher what the message actually _says_ , another one comes in. 

**From Chris:** Nevermind, forget it. 

This time, Darren fumbles through his nightstand drawer for an old pair of glasses that aren’t strong enough anymore but will at least let him read his damn cell phone. Once he finally sees what the screen says, he sits straight up in bed, wide awake. 

He and Chris hadn’t exactly parted on the best terms, and for Chris to text Darren out of the blue in the middle of the night, well… something must be wrong. While part of him can still hear Chris yelling _I don’t need you anymore!_ , the other part will always ask ‘how high’ when Chris says ‘jump’. 

**From Darren:** I’ll be there in two shakes

Darren doesn’t think, he just hops out of bed and pulls on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. His mind races with possibilities of _why_ Chris would ask for him now, after all these years. He hopes it’s not something serious with Hannah, but Darren can’t think of anything else that it would be. 

Chris hasn’t needed him in three years. 

Now that Darren lives further outside the city, it’s a bit of a drive to Chris’s house, but traffic in the middle of the night is pretty light. Even though it’s been a long time since he’s been this way, he still remembers exactly where he’s going. 

The bitterness and pain of the last time he was at Chris’s house creeps up on him as he gets closer. The fight -- the cutting, nasty words they both tossed at each other -- it still haunts him to this day, late at night when he can’t help but think about Chris. 

When he pulls into Chris’s driveway, he sees only one low light on in the living room. It used to be pretty normal for Chris to wake up in the middle of the night; trying and failing to not disturb Darren as he slid out of bed to head downstairs and write. Now, Darren doesn’t know anything about Chris’s sleeping habits -- but it appears not much has changed. 

Darren no longer has a key to Chris’s house, but as he’s about to knock, the door swings open. 

“You didn’t have to come,” Chris says. He’s hiding most of his body but Darren can see the bags under Chris’s eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks. 

Darren lets himself in and shuts the door, gently pulling Chris into a hug. “I’ll always come when you call,” he says, frowning when Chris feels… not necessarily bigger than he used to, just a little… thicker. Only noticeable to Darren because he spent years of being familiar with Chris’s body pressed up against his own. “You’ve gained some weight,” he blurts before cringing. He always seems to lose his tact when he’s sleep-deprived. 

Chris lets out a wet sob and turns away from Darren, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant.” 

“Um,” Darren says dumbly, the word _pregnant_ not quite settling yet. His hands feel numb from the shock as he looks around at the boxes piled high along the entranceway. “Are you moving?” It’s the only thing he can process right now.

“No,” Chris says harshly, heading over to the living room and sitting down on the couch. From the looks of it -- the bottles of water and pile of tissues -- he’d been there for a while. “That’s all his shit. As soon as the reality set in, he took off. Wants no part of being a father.” 

Darren sighs deeply and sits down next to Chris, not knowing how close he can or should get. “Shit,” he says, wringing his hands between his knees. He glances at Chris’s abdomen and can’t even tell now that he’s sitting and hunched over. “How far… um. How far along are you?” Pretty early, Darren figures. From his limited knowledge, he knows men tend to start showing far sooner than women, since their bodies are so different. 

Chris sniffs and grabs for another tissue to wipe his eyes. “Eight weeks. We -- it wasn’t planned, and now I’m alone. Alone and pregnant. _Fuck_.” 

Darren gives in and wraps his arm around Chris’s shoulders, pulling him close. He tries to not get distracted by how good Chris feels against him, but it’s just been so _long_ and he’s missed Chris -- despite everything. “You won’t be alone -- you have me.” He blurts this out without thinking -- three years ago he swore off Chris for good, but all it takes apparently is a moment of vulnerability on Chris’s part and Darren doesn’t think twice before he’s showing up at Chris’s doorstep.

“Bullshit,” Chris scoffs but doesn’t pull away from Darren. “I don’t even… I don’t know what I was thinking, when I texted you. We haven’t -- it’s been _years_ , Darren. I didn’t expect you to come running.” 

There’s an ache in Darren’s chest that he can’t quite explain -- he knew Chris _could_ get pregnant, but back when they were together, Chris was on birth control. The show kept them way too busy to even _think_ about having kids. And if Darren’s completely honest, he was glad for that because he’s always been fairly sure he doesn’t want to be a dad. Especially after seeing how completely exhausted and wrung out Chuck has been since his daughter was born. 

“Well, you caught me on a free night,” Darren says, chuckling softly as he dares to pull Chris in a little closer, a smile crossing his face when he feels Chris finally relax against him. “You’re right, it has been years. But you have to know, Chris… I’ll always be here when you need me.” 

“Darren,” Chris says, sighing. “Don’t do that thing where you ignore what you’re really feeling to please someone. I was -- _we_ were awful to each other. It’s late. I was obviously delirious from lack of sleep when I texted you.” 

If Darren walks away now, just up and leaves, he’d be the biggest asshole. A small part of him is considering it, because it took him ages to get over the heartache of Chris breaking things off, and he’s not quite sure his heart can handle being around Chris again. “I’m not going to leave you alone, not now,” he says, easily making his decision. He can’t just abandon Chris now and leave him to deal with this pregnancy by himself. 

Chris yawns and shakes his head. “I’m too exhausted to argue with you right now.” 

With a quick peek at his phone, Darren sees it’s already almost four o’clock in the morning. “Fuck, it’s late -- or early, depending on how you look at it. I should -- I should get back, let you sleep.” He’s already dreading the drive back home, but it’s not like he doesn’t know how to function on only a few hours of sleep. 

Chris pulls away from Darren, his shoulders still slumped in defeat. “I think I could actually sleep now, I’m so tired. But… you don’t have to drive all the way back home. There’s a perfectly good guest room upstairs for you to crash in.” 

At first, Darren hesitates. While being able to conk out in a few minutes sounds awesome, he’s not sure how well he’ll be able to sleep, knowing he’s just mere feet away from what used to basically be his bedroom, too. But when he yawns so deeply his jaw aches, he knows he probably shouldn’t be driving. “Okay,” he says, giving in. 

“Fuck, I’ll just clean this up in the morning,” Chris says, eying all of his trash with disgust as he stands up from the couch. “I just want to sleep.” 

Darren nods and follows Chris upstairs, the path so familiar he gets flashbacks of the two of them laughing and fumbling up the stairs as they tried to remove their clothes as fast as possible. He sighs quietly and ignores the pang in his chest. It’ll never be like that again. “Goodnight,” Darren says, once he’s reached the door to the guest bedroom. 

“G’night,” Chris says, barely turning to look back at Darren before he’s closing the door to his bedroom behind him, leaving Darren alone in the hallway. 

Darren sighs again and enters the room, not surprised that the sheets are still the same as the last time he was here. He doesn’t bother taking his sweatpants off, just crawls right into bed. He’s pretty sure Chris wouldn’t appreciate it if he comes to wake Darren up for some reason and he’s in his boxers. 

He falls asleep right away and by the time he wakes up, he’s almost completely forgotten what had happened in the middle of the night. He looks around the bedroom, confused why it’s not his own, and for a second he thinks he’s in yet another hotel room, but then the fog clears and he remembers he’s still at Chris’s house. 

With no concept of the current time -- his phone is still on the coffee table downstairs -- he stumbles out into the hallway, planning on heading to the kitchen, when he hears an awful retching noise coming from Chris’s bedroom. “Chris?” He calls out, pushing through the partially opened door, and when he sees the bed is empty (purposely not stopping to think about how many nights he spent in that bed), he heads to the master bathroom and sees Chris hunched over the toilet bowl. 

“Ugh, you don’t need to see this,” Chris moans, dry heaving again and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Does anything help?” Darren asks, quickly wetting a washcloth with cool water and crouching down next to Chris. He wipes the sweat off Chris’s forehead before holding the cloth to the back of Chris’s neck. “Can I get you something -- tea, or… shit, I don’t know. Crackers?” 

Chris shakes his head and reaches up to flush the toilet before he sits back against the bathtub. “I haven’t found anything that helps. I just have to wait it out.” He closes his eyes and drops his head between his knees. “I hope this ends after the first trimester. I’m way past tired of it.” 

It’s been years, but Darren still knows Chris’s tells. He needs some time to compose himself before he gets up and continues with his day. “I can put together something for breakfast before I leave, if you’d like?” 

“I have a doctor appointment in two hours. I’ll just have some toast before I leave,” Chris says, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “Just need to hop in the shower first.” 

Darren isn’t sure what’s overstepping, but the thought of Chris going to his appointment by himself quickly has Darren making up his mind that he doesn’t. “I’ll drive you, and then we can grab some lunch afterwards.” 

Chris sighs and heaves himself up off the floor. “Darren -- you don’t need to feel… obligated to stay around. I was obviously delirious when I texted you last night. I can manage just fine on my own.” 

Darren stands too and winces when he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hair looks like a rat’s nest, but he’s pretty sure there’s a hat in the back seat of his car he can throw on when they leave. “I know you can,” he says softly, taking a step back when he realizes just how close he’s standing to Chris. “But you don’t have to. Like I said last night, I’ll always be here if you need me.” 

A sad look crosses Chris’s face before he clears his throat and turns to start the shower. “I just don’t want you to think that…” he trails off, his shoulders slumping before he turns back to Darren. “I can’t _be_ with you, Darren. Not now -- maybe not ever. I don’t think I can put myself through that again. I have this baby to think about, now.” 

Darren’s eyebrows shoot up and he shakes his head, eyes wide. “No -- that’s not what I was going for at all, Chris. I just want to be a good friend, again. Nothing more -- I can’t put myself through that again, either.” 

“Okay,” Chris says, nodding stiffly. He glances through the bathroom door and then back at Darren. “I’m just going to hop in quick and I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes, if you really want to come with me.” 

“I do,” Darren says, ignoring the unease he feels in his stomach. He leaves Chris to his shower and heads downstairs to grab his phone and clean up the trash. He quickly answers a few texts he received before making his way to the kitchen to make some toast. He smiles a little when he bread is still in the same place it’s always been -- once Chris has a system, he tends to not stray from it. The dog treats are in the same place too, so he quickly tosses Cooper a new bone to keep him occupied. 

He _does_ just want to be a good friend to Chris -- even though just being in Chris’s house _hurts_ , because it used to pretty much be _their_ house. He’s sure he can just bury the ache and help Chris out -- abandoning him would make Darren feel overwhelmingly guilty. 

He waits until he hears the shower turn off to put the bread in the toaster. Chris has always been a strawberry jam kind of guy, but Darren doesn’t know if that’s changed at all, especially with the pregnancy -- what if he wants peanut butter and pickles on his toast? So he waits, spreading a little butter and sprinkling cinnamon on his own. 

“I’m surprised Cooper isn’t begging at your feet,” Chris says, appearing in the kitchen, dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt, but still barefoot. “Where is he, anyway?” Chris asks as he goes for the fridge and grabs the jar of strawberry jam. 

“He and I have had an understanding for years, Chris,” Darren says, nodding in the direction of the living room where Cooper is sleepily chewing on the bone. “When I come over in the middle of the night and forget my allergy medication, he knows to stay away from me.” 

Chris smirks and quickly doctors up his toast before taking a bite. “Or you snuck a new bone for him without my permission. That’ll distract him every time.” 

Darren tries to give Chris an innocent look, but cracks when Chris just quirks an eyebrow. “I figured you’d rather me sneak him a bone than deal with my throat closing up and my eyes swelling shut. You’d miss your doctor appointment.” 

“You don’t react that badly to dogs. Stop being so dramatic,” Chris says, finishing up his toast. He glances at his phone and places his dishes in the sink. “If you’re really going to come with, we need to get moving before we’re late.” 

“Yessir,” Darren says, standing up and patting his pockets to make sure he has his keys and phone. “I’ll drive.” 

“I’m still perfectly capable of driving, Darren,” Chris says, grabbing his own car keys and heading toward the garage. “Besides, you have no idea where the office is.” 

Darren thinks about protesting, but Chris’s stubborn streak is a mile long and he knows it’s no use. He dutifully follows Chris out to the garage and winces when there’s a loud grinding noise as the door opens. “I think it’s time to get a new garage door,” he says, looking up at the opener like he knows what he’s looking for. 

Chris sighs and opens the driver’s side door to his car. “Just another thing _he_ said he would fix. It’s on my list of things to call about and get taken care of.” 

“I’ll call someone,” Darren says, already making a note in his phone as he jogs out to his car for his hat before he climbs into the passenger seat of Chris’s car. “Don’t worry about it,” Darren says. Chris starts to protest but Darren shakes his head and almost reaches out to touch Chris’s thigh out of habit, but pulls his hand back before it even crosses the gearshift. Apparently even after three years, his muscle memory is still there. “Chris, I’m here to help you out. Whatever you need.” 

Chris nods warily and is quiet the rest of the drive to the doctor’s office. It’s not too far from Chris’s house, but it does give Darren plenty of time to look up a reputable repair man for the garage and he saves the phone number for while he’s waiting for Chris in the waiting room. 

“I just saw her a week and a half ago when I found out, but my blood pressure was a little high, so she wants to keep a close eye on it,” Chris explains when they pull into the parking lot. “I don’t want to be one of those people that has to be on full bed rest their whole pregnancy.” 

Darren makes a face. He can’t stand being laid up for more than a day; he couldn’t imagine not being able to leave his bed for more than going to the bathroom for nine _months_. “Just think about how much writing you’d get done!” 

“I’ll have plenty of time to write anyway now that this has happened,” Chris says, waving a hand at his stomach. “I already had to postpone filming a movie… indefinitely, because who knows if the studio will want me anymore when they find out.” 

Darren looks at the clock on Chris’s dash and if they want to make it up to Chris’s doctor’s office in time, they need to take the first step and get out of the car. “Of course they will,” Darren scoffs, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. “So what if they need to wait until after you have the baby? You’re _Chris Colfer_ , man. They’ll wait.” 

Chris’s face twists into a frown as he gets out of the car and locks it once Darren closes his door. “I don’t know if I want them to. I mean, how many pregnant male celebrities do you see have much of a career after the public finds out?” 

Darren wants to disagree, wants to reassure Chris that that won’t happen while they head into the building and toward the elevator, except he knows it’s sad, but true. Male pregnancies are still taboo in the public’s eye, even though they’ve become more common over the years. There have only been a couple famous men who’ve had babies, and unfortunately their careers have been almost nonexistent since they had their kids. “You were revolutionary years ago when you came out as gay, Chris. You’ll get through this.” 

“We’ll see,” Chris sighs. He’s quiet again as they ride the elevator up to the fifth floor until they enter the office and he goes to check in with the receptionist. 

There’s only one other couple in the waiting room, a guy with what looks to be his very pregnant wife, if the rings on their fingers are any indication. They don’t even look up from whatever parenting magazines they’re reading when Chris comes to sit down next to Darren. 

“It’ll only be a couple minutes before they call me back,” Chris says, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall. 

Darren knows Chris wasn’t a huge fan of doctors years ago, and he assumes it’s still the same now. Darren used to distract him with whispered promises of sex, cuddles, joint bubble baths… but now he certainly can’t suggest any of that. He’s about to pull up cute animal videos on his phone, when a nurse opens the door and calls both Chris and the woman back. 

The woman’s husband helps her up and goes with her. For a second Darren thinks he should accompany Chris, but Chris gets up and doesn’t even spare Darren a glance as he follows the nurse and the door closes behind them. Well, that answers that. 

Darren quickly calls and makes an appointment to get Chris’s garage door fixed. He wonders if there’s any other maintenance that needs to be taken care of -- things that Chris has put off calling about that Darren can help out with. It’s not that Chris doesn’t have the money for repairs, Darren knows. It’s more like he tends to forget about these types of things while he’s busy with a project or a book.

Darren’s about to start making a list of household things he should check on, when the nurse opens the door again and calls him back. “Is everything okay?” he asks, stomach clenching with worry as he stands. 

“Everything is just fine,” she says, guiding Darren through the door and down the hallway. “Chris just asked for you to join him for the ultrasound.” 

Oh. Darren lets out a nervous breath and follows the nurse to Chris’s room. Twenty-four hours ago, if someone had told him he’d be in an obstetrician's office today, about to be with his ex-boyfriend for his ultrasound, he would’ve thought they were stoned or black-out drunk. It still sort of feels like he’s having some sort of insane, lucid dream. 

“Hey,” Chris says when Darren enters the room. He’s sitting up on the examination bed, hands twisted together. 

“I’ll be right back to do the scan,” the nurse says, closing the door behind her. 

“She said everything was okay,” Darren says, hurrying over to Chris. He wants to grab for Chris’s hand, wants to help ease his obvious nerves, but he keeps a polite distance. “Everything _is_ okay, right?” 

Chris nods and looks down at his hands. “They usually don’t do ultrasounds this early, but with me being a guy and with my blood pressure still borderline, they’re going to do one just to be safe.” 

There’s a lot of research to do, Darren realizes. He doesn’t know much about pregnancy in general, let alone how different it is for a man. If he’s going to be around to help Chris out, he wants to be well educated and make sure the important questions get asked. “Well, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you relaxed so that blood pressure gets down to where it should be and stays there.” 

“Thanks,” Chris says, huffing out a quiet laugh just as there’s a knock on the door and the nurse -- Kayla, her name tag says -- comes back in. 

“Okay, Chris. I’m going to need you to undo your pants and lay back. Just raise your shirt a little bit,” Kayla says, rolling the ultrasound machine over toward the side of the bed and sitting down on a stool. “Now like I said, there isn’t much to see right now, but we just want to make sure everything is progressing as it should, okay?” 

Chris makes an affirmative noise and exposes his stomach before gets situated and turns his head towards the monitor. “Will we be able to… um, hear the heartbeat? Or is it too early for that?”

“We should be able to,” Kayla says, squirting some gel on a little wand before placing it on Chris’s lower abdomen. “You’re just at the point where your baby’s organs are starting to function.” 

“Functioning organs are always important,” Darren says, squinting at the screen. He certainly can’t see a baby there -- can’t see much of anything, it just looks like a big black blob of nothing. 

“Here,” Kayla says suddenly, holding the wand in place and clicking a few things on the keyboard with her other hand. “Here’s your baby!” she says, pointing at a slight discoloration on the screen. “And…” she trails off, clicking a few more keys before a faint fast-paced thumping comes through the speakers. “That’s the heartbeat!” 

Chris swallows audibly and stares at the screen. “So, this is actually happening,” he says quietly. “I mean, I’ve known for almost two weeks but… actually hearing that, wow. I’m _pregnant_.” 

Kayla smiles and removes the wand, taking a second to wipe the gel from Chris’s stomach with a cloth. “Would you like a picture to take home? I know there’s not much to see right now, but some people like to see the progression throughout their pregnancy.” 

When Chris hesitates, Darren blurts out a yes. He knows Chris will regret it if he says no. “We can make a scrapbook or something,” he suggests, flashing a smile at Chris. 

Kayla prints out a couple copies and grabs an envelope for the pictures before she reminds Chris to make his next appointment with the receptionist on his way out. “See you in a couple of weeks!” she says brightly, leaving the room to let Chris put himself back together. 

“I’m sure you want to get home, shower, get back to your own life,” Chris says, hopping off the exam table and buttoning his pants back up. “I won’t keep you any longer.” 

Darren feels like he’s being dismissed, because they had planned on getting lunch, but he doesn’t want to argue with Chris. Both of them could use the rest of the day apart to adjust to their new… relationship. “I could use a shower,” he says, following Chris back out to the waiting room. “I called a guy about your garage door. He should be at your house tomorrow around eleven. Does that work for you?” 

Chris looks impressed. “Wow, thanks. Yeah, I’ll be home.” 

On the drive back to his house, Chris is quiet. Darren wants to go in for a hug once they’re back in Chris’s garage but he’s pretty sure that would be overstepping. “So, um. Call me? If you need anything?” he asks, shoving his hand in his pocket for his keys. 

“The -- uh, the truck is coming to pick up his stuff sometime after noon tomorrow,” Chris says, shrugging while he jingles his own keys nervously in his hands. 

“I’ll be there,” Darren says without hesitation. He knows Chris really doesn’t need help with his ex’s stuff, since it’s all already packed and the movers will take care of the boxes, but Chris isn’t one to ask for help very often (except in the middle of the night, apparently).


	2. Chapter 2

At first, it starts out with Darren showing up to make sure everything goes okay with the movers and the garage door repair, but it only takes a few days for him to make more excuses to see Chris. It’s only a matter of weeks before Darren’s at Chris’s house more than his own.

Chris is just starting to noticeably show, so he hasn’t been too keen on leaving his home unless he has to. Things are still awkward, and neither of them have brought up what happened three years ago, but it’s difficult for Darren to think about any of that when he’s helping Chris through his nausea and vomiting almost everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. 

“I cannot wait to get out of the first trimester,” Chris moans, closing his eyes as he rests his head against the back of the couch. 

“Almost there,” Darren says, stifling a yawn. They’d been up late the night before marathoning old episodes of Downton Abbey and instead of going home, Darren had just crashed in the guest room again. “All of the research says that a good majority of the morning sickness ends once you hit your second trimester.” 

Chris huffs out a laugh and turns his head toward Darren. He looks just as tired as Darren feels. “Let’s just hope I’m not one of those few that has to deal with this for the entire nine months.” 

Darren groans in sympathy. “No, let’s not even consider that. You’re going to have a perfectly normal pregnancy from here on out.” 

“Can I ask you a question?” Chris asks after a beat, pulling at a stray thread in the seam of his sweatpants. 

“Shoot,” Darren says, shrugging. 

Chris bites his lip and looks Darren in the eyes. “You’ve never really liked the idea of kids, why are you… I mean, I appreciate the help and company. I do, but why were you so eager to help me out? You know there’s going to be a baby screaming their lungs out around here in about six months, right? Not that I expect you to stick around after he or she is born, of course --” 

“Chris --” Darren says, reaching out to rest his hand on Chris’s arm to cut off his rambling. “I’m not -- I’m not here to be the kid’s father… I’m just here to help _you_ out, whatever the fuck you might need, even after the kid’s here.” 

“You have your own life to live,” Chris says, shifting enough so Darren’s hand slips from his arm. “I’m probably never going to work againt, but you still have a pretty full calendar.” 

Darren’s still not convinced Chris’s career is going to go belly up with this pregnancy, but the part about his own schedule is completely true. This has all landed during a rare few weeks that Darren didn’t have anything planned except for a few meetings in L.A., but he’ll be hopping on a plane to New York in a few days, then London after that. He’ll be gone for a month. He’s been trying to ignore the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach -- what if something happens and Darren is half a world away? 

“Three years ago, I thought we’d never see each other again -- maybe only in passing,” Darren says, figuring he’ll just bite the bullet and bring up the elephant in the room. “After we broke up… I was pretty fucking messed up. But you were my best friend -- my _lover_ for years, Chris. I told you I would always be here if you needed me, so I’m sure as hell not going to up and disappear now.”

“I was pretty messed up too,” Chris says quietly, gaze falling to Darren’s hand before he slowly reaches over and rests his own over Darren’s. “I said so many awful things that night -- so many of them I didn’t mean and I felt horrible for months. I’m not sure what possessed me to text you that night, but it does feel pretty good to have my friend back. Especially now.” 

Darren smiles and intertwines his fingers with Chris’s. “I’m glad to be back. I’m just sorry I have to leave for so long.” 

“It’s only a month. It’ll go by fast,” Chris says, shrugging. “You won’t miss much other than me sitting around with my laptop. Maybe I at least can hang onto my writing career.” 

Darren glares at Chris but squeezes his hand. “I like watching you write, you’re cute when you’re concentrating,” he says, daring to shoot Chris a wink. When he gets a smile in return, it finally feels as if all the tension they’ve been ignoring has slowly started to fade. “Who will keep you from sleep-ordering like, ten cribs when I’m gone? Maybe I should just cancel everything for a while.” 

“Okay, first off… I can’t take Ambien while pregnant, so there hasn’t been any crazy late-night Amazon sprees lately,” Chris says, rubbing his stomach with his free hand. “And secondly, _no_ , absolutely not. That is not even remotely an option, Darren.” 

As much as Darren knows it’s not feasible to just clear his calendar and stay with Chris, there’s definitely a part of him wondering _what if_. The fan backlash would be awful -- and the last thing Darren wants to do is disappoint them, but this is _Chris_. “I know,” he sighs, rubbing his thumb across Chris’s knuckles. “I just don’t like the idea of you being alone for so long.” 

“Everything will be just fine,” Chris reassures with a quick squeeze to Darren’s hand before pulling his away. “You can’t just put your life on hold because of me.” 

*

Darren’s time away does go by quickly. He’s so busy in New York that he barely has time to text Chris, and only is able to Skype him once before he’s set to leave for London. Chris assures him that everything is fine -- the morning sickness has all but gone away and his doctor says his blood pressure is much more stable. 

That doesn’t stop Darren from worrying, however. He puts on a show face in public, but his mind is occupied with Chris. Is he eating healthy and enough for two? Is the baby growing the way it should? It’s been a couple of years since pretty much all of Darren’s thoughts have been about Chris, but Darren can’t help it now that Chris is back in his life. 

“I can hear your mind racing from here,” Chris says, laptop propped up on his thighs, his pregnant belly clearly visible under his t-shirt. 

Darren yawns and shakes his head. He’s still trying to wake up -- it’s six o’clock in the morning for him, but he knows Chris has been falling asleep early lately, and it’s 10 p.m. in Los Angeles, almost Chris’s bedtime. “I’m thinking that if I drank coffee, I’d really need some right now.” 

Chris moans and stretches his arms over his head, his shirt riding up a little on his stomach “I _miss_ caffiene. I miss Diet Coke. I would kill for a can right now.” 

“You’re handling your nine month abstinence well,” Darren says with a chuckle. 

“Ugh,” Chris grunts, bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “First thing I’m going to ask for after I give birth is a twelve pack.” 

Darren’s glad for the distance between them momentarily, because he has an urge to kiss that sullen look away. That’s certainly not something he should be thinking about, especially since neither he or Chris want to get back together. “I’ll make sure your hospital room is fully stocked,” Darren says with a chuckle. 

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Chris says, resting a hand on his stomach. “Another ultrasound tomorrow morning, bright and early.” 

Darren sighs and his mouth twists into a frown. “I wish I could go with you.” He picks at the comforter on his hotel bed. He’s not usually one for feeling lonely, especially when he’s busy with work, but there’s been a slight ache in his chest ever since he left Los Angeles. That’s not something he’s felt in a long time -- three years, actually. 

“I’ll make sure they give me a copy,” Chris says as he tries to stifle a yawn. “Sorry. This kid is already making me feel like an old man -- I can’t even stay up ‘til eleven anymore.” 

With a quick glance at the corner of the screen to check the time, Darren realizes that unfortunately, he has to get going, too. Radio interviews are always so _early_. “You should get some sleep. Text me when you’re done with your appointment?” 

Chris yawns again, nodding through it. “Of course. Good night -- or, well. Good morning, for you.” 

When Chris gives a slight wave and disconnects the call, Darren stares at the blank screen for a few seconds before switching over to his e-mail. He deletes a bunch of junk and saves a few that are flagged as important -- he’ll maybe get around to reading them later. He has probably about a half an hour before there’s a knock on his door, which means he needs to get his ass out of bed and into the shower. 

The day goes by quickly, at least. His entire trip is filled with interviews, photo shoots, and scheduled appearances. There isn’t much time to do anything else, besides eat and sleep. 

When he finally is able to sit down to dinner, he keeps his phone out on the table so there’s no chance he misses Chris’s text. He’s not sure why he’s so anxious -- it’s not his kid, but he just needs to know _Chris_ is okay, and right now, that includes the baby, too. Their years apart haven’t been forgotten -- far from it, but at least the tension between them has lessened since they were able to talk before he left. It’s been a great few weeks since _the text_ , and Darren definitely has enjoyed having Chris in his life again. He just wishes it wasn’t under these circumstances. 

Darren gets distracted by a conversation with his manager -- she’s new, but she’s fiery and tends not to take ‘no’ for an answer. So far, Darren likes her. Once they’ve cleared up a double-booking in his schedule, he checks his phone again and frowns. Chris’s appointment should definitely be over with by now. 

He reminds himself that doctor’s offices tend to get behind, that it’s fucking rare to actually get in at your scheduled time, but that doesn’t help the feeling in the pit of his stomach that something is wrong. He used to call it his _Chris-sense_ when they still worked together and there were times when Chris injured himself or was sick and Darren could just _tell_. 

Another thirty minutes later, Darren’s phone finally rings and he barely opens his mouth to say anything once he answers it when Chris interrupts him. “Before you freak out, everything is fine.” 

Darren scoffs. “I was not freaking out -- but… you’re sure everything is fine? You’re fine? Baby is fine?” 

When Chris hesitates before answering, Darren’s stomach cramps with nerves. “I just want to repeat that _everything is fine_. This is just a precaution, because my blood pressure spiked during the exam.” 

Darren feels his pulse hammer against his throat, because he is half a world away and everything is obviously _not_ fucking fine. “Chris -- “ 

“They wanted to monitor me overnight, just to be on the safe side. Darren, you are absolutely _not_ allowed to cut your trip short, I can hear you planning from here. I’m hooked up to a fetal monitor -- the baby is perfectly okay, and my blood pressure came back down. It was just a freak thing,” Chris sighs, but now Darren notices the faint sound of beeping over the line. 

Darren sighs shakily and runs his fingers through his hair. “Chris you’re in the _hospital_. How can you expect me to not come home?” 

“Because you’re not the father!” Chris shouts, then lets out a long groan after a beat. “Shit, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m angry at the situation, not you. You obviously didn’t do anything. But… Darren. We’ve been over this. You do not have to give up your work -- your _life_ for me. We aren’t together anymore, this isn’t your baby -- and yes, I do love having you back as a friend, but this kid is not your responsibility.” 

It’s not like he’s had visions of little feet pitter-pattering around his house, but Darren’s not planning on up and leaving as soon as Chris gives birth. “It may not be my responsibility -- but _fuck_ , Chris. I care about you, and if your blood pressure was so high that it worried your doctor enough to admit you to the hospital, then I’m definitely going to worry.” 

“I know,” Chris says, sighing. “I know. You’ll be home in two weeks, though. If you flew home now, you wouldn’t even make it here before I get discharged. You will have cut your trip short for nothing.” 

Darren wants to bang his head in frustration, but he knows Chris is right. He’s no stranger to impulsive decisions -- hell, asking Chris out on a date for the first time was an impulse, and that led to a seven year relationship -- so it’s difficult to not book a flight immediately. “I suppose that’s true,” he says, smiling when he hears Chris give a little cheer. “What, don’t you _want_ to see me?” 

“I just love being right.. It is sorta lonely with just me and Cooper, though,” Chris says, then there’s a muffled voice before Chris adds, “hang on.” 

Darren can hear Chris talking to a woman, but he can’t make out what they’re saying. “Chris?” he asks, once the other voice is gone. 

“Yeah, I’m back… sorry, that was just one of the nurses. And before you ask! Everything is just fine, I’ll be going home first thing in the morning.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Darren says, still itching to cancel everything and fly back to Los Angeles. It’s not that he doesn’t believe Chris when he says he and the baby are okay, but he knows he’d have a better peace of mind seeing it for himself. He knows it’s not exactly feasible though. “That’s very good. Let’s hope this is the only scare you have.” 

“It’d better be,” Chris huffs. “Daddy doesn’t want to be back in this hospital until you’re ready to be born, do you hear that?” 

Darren feels his cheeks warm, listening to Chris use his softer voice directed toward the baby. Chris has been doing that more often, now that he’s further along, and it somehow manages to make Darren melt a little inside every time. “Uncle Darren agrees.” 

“Yes,” Chris says, his voice still soft and gentle. “You can’t scare Uncle Darren like that again. He’s already worrying enough for the both of us.” 

After barking out a laugh and scrubbing his face with his hand, Darren lets out a deep sigh. “I’ll be less worried once I’m back home and can see with my own two eyes that everything is okay.” 

*

Thankfully, Chris’s blood pressure stays stable for the remainder of Darren’s time in London. Chris and baby are doing very well, which is a good thing -- considering how busy Darren’s schedule is -- he would’ve been royally fucked if he had cut things short and ran home early. 

By the time he does return to Los Angeles, he’s bone tired and ready to nap for approximately a month, but he doesn’t want to wait any longer to see Chris. It’s not like Darren’s expecting a cheery reunion at baggage claim -- Chris would never make a public gesture like that, for anyone -- so he wearily retrieves his luggage and gets his car out of long-term parking. 

He texts Chris that he’s on his way, but doesn’t get a response by the time he’s out of the parking lot. That’s not unusual -- Darren has years of practice of being used to Chris not always answering his phone. He’ll either forget it’s on silent or just leave it in another room. 

There still isn’t a return text when Darren pulls in Chris’s driveway, but Darren doesn’t think twice about it. He just leaves his luggage in his car -- it’s pretty much all dirty and he’ll have to start laundry as soon as he gets home -- and jogs up to the front door. He rings the doorbell because he doesn’t have a key… he hasn’t felt comfortable asking for one again. 

Cooper lets out a couple barks, and it takes a little bit before the door swings open. Chris is flushed and breathing heavier than normal so Darren is immediately concerned. “Fuck, are you okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital?” He steps inside, and goes to reach for Chris’s forehead but his hand is batted away. 

“I’m perfectly fine,” Chris says, ducking away from Darren’s second attempt to check his temperature. “Darren, quit it. I’m not sick, I was just… working out. Yeah, I was upstairs doing some yoga when the doorbell rang. I didn’t realize you’d be back so soon.” 

Chris is a pretty good liar -- but he’s never been able to lie to Darren. Darren laughs suddenly, surprised that it took him as long as it did to figure it out. He blames the exhaustion. “Christopher,” he sing-songs, closing the door behind him. “Did I interrupt you jacking off?” He focuses really hard on keeping his eyes on Chris’s face, because he’s already feeling a twinge of arousal just _thinking_ about it, and if he glances down at Chris’s sweatpants, he might start drooling. It’s been a long time since he’s had Chris’s dick in his hands or mouth or ass -- and he _knows_ they’ll never be at that point again, but that doesn’t stop his traitor brain from thinking about it. 

“Fuck off,” Chris says, huffing and turning to head toward the kitchen. “I said I was doing yoga!” 

Darren follows Chris, not surprised at all that he goes for the fridge and lets out a grumpy huff when all he can do is grab a bottle of water. “Uh huh,” Darren says disbelievingly. He lets it drop, though, because he really can’t be thinking about that kind of thing and Chris never has been comfortable talking about sex outside of the bedroom. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a welcome home hug around here?” he asks, holding his arms out. 

Even though Chris rolls his eyes, he eagerly sets his water on the counter and smiles as he wraps his arms around Darren’s shoulders, his belly pressing against Darren’s. “I _am_ glad you’re back,” he says, holding Darren a little tighter. “I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but it was pretty scary and nerve wracking to have to be admitted to the hospital. I wasn’t sure about all of this at first, but with that scare… it makes me want to do everything in my power to make sure this baby is okay.”

A strong urge to close his eyes and kiss Chris’s neck has Darren pulling slightly back so he’s able to look into Chris’s eyes. “Your baby is going to be just fine, even if it takes me waiting on you hand and foot while you rest in bed.” 

Chris curls his lip in disgust. “My doctor was pretty close to suggesting bedrest, but for now I’m just on light activity. So,” he says with a smile, pulling out of Darren’s embrace, “you can do all my heavy lifting for me.” 

“Of course,” Darren says, ready to do pretty much anything Chris asks. He’s not booked for anything overseas for the remainder of Chris’s pregnancy, and while he does have a couple of trips to Chicago and New York planned, he’ll only be gone for a few days at a time. “Anything you need.” 

“What I _need_ is a good orgasm,” Chris mutters as he makes his way toward the living room. 

“Uh --” Darren says dumbly, blinking rapidly as he turns to follow Chris. His cock is clearly not getting the message that he’s not Chris’s boyfriend -- hasn’t been for years -- it just remembers that it used to be pretty damn good at giving Chris orgasms and is definitely willing to offer up it’s services.

Chris heaves out a loud sigh as he flops down on the couch, his hands immediately going to his round belly. “It’s the pregnancy hormones,” he says, leaning his head back against the pillows and looking up at the ceiling. “I’ve been pretty much constantly horny for the past week or so.” 

Darren’s mouth floods with saliva as he stands there, trying desperately to not think about how easy it would be to sink to his knees in front of Chris and suck him off. They used to do that -- fuck and suck with no feelings involved before they got together. That is, until there _were_ feelings involved and they started dating. And Darren knows -- he _knows_ \-- sleeping with Chris now would just end up being a disaster and ruin this friendship they’ve worked so hard to return to. “I, uh… I mean, I have a fuckton of laundry to do. If you want me to just… leave you to it.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Chris says, patting the couch next to him. “I just need a distraction. We can catch up on some TV you missed?” 

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Darren lets it out slowly before he opens his eyes and looks at Chris. “I… I really should go home. Because if I sit down next to you, I’ll probably end up doing something I’ll regret, so… yeah. See you tomorrow?” It gives him chest pains to say this -- he’s been gone a _month_ and his intention was to spend most of the evening with Chris -- but his dick is trying to do all of the thinking and he doesn’t want to fuck everything up.

Chris almost looks disappointed for a moment, but he covers it up by shrugging and grabbing the remote. “I’ll be here.” 

Darren says goodbye and has to pause for a moment once he’s outside Chris’s house. He scrubs his hand over his face and quietly scolds his dick, which is still happily half-hard in his pants. It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ to sleep with Chris -- the best sex he’s ever had in his life was with Chris -- but they have a really good thing going right now, and Darren knows that if they crossed that bridge, everything could be ruined. The risk of both of their hearts breaking _again_ is too high. He’s lucky enough to have Chris back as a friend -- something he never even considered would happen for the past three years. His cock just needs to calm the fuck down. 

That night, Darren wakes up from the most intense sex dream he’s had in a very long time. He feels as if he’s right on the verge of orgasm, so without a second thought, he shoves his sheets out of the way and grabs his cock, stroking it firmly. He’s still on that brink of half-awake, so he vividly remembers his dream -- Chris, visibly pregnant and on his back as Darren fucked into him, Chris’s cock leaking all over his stomach. 

Darren tightens his grip on his dick, already panting heavily as he feels his balls tighten. In his dream, Chris had come, streaks of white painting his swollen belly, and just that image has Darren swearing as his orgams crests, jolt after jolt of come covering his fist and abdomen. 

“Fuck,” Darren mutters, chest heaving as he lets go of his dick, not even wincing at the mess. He can see it so clearly, Chris desperately begging for Darren’s cock as Darren fucks him harder. He’s too old to get hard again anytime soon, but he can still feel the arousal swirling throughout his body. 

He groans, unable to _stop_ thinking about it. He shouldn’t be, that’s for damn sure. Chris is just his friend now, but it doesn’t help at all that Darren obviously interrupted Chris’s jerk-off time, and Chris is apparently insufferably horny right now.

After quickly cleaning up, Darren rolls over and tries to fall back asleep. It’s late -- or early, he’s not sure, and he’s beyond tired. But every time he closes his eyes, all he sees is Chris, naked and sweaty, coming all over his pregnant belly. 

He tosses back and forth for a while but can’t manage to fall back to sleep. It’s been a very long time since a sex dream about Chris Colfer kept him awake -- since when they first started fucking. It was so _good_ that Darren couldn’t stop thinking about it, night after night. When they finally decided to stop being stubborn morons and started dating, they had so much more sex that Darren hardly ever had to worry about dreaming of it. 

This is a fucking disaster. He’s supposed to be Chris’s friend -- his support system through this pregnancy, since Chris has yet to tell… anyone else, really, besides his manager. His dad and sister are even still in the dark -- Darren knows Chris has just been putting _that_ conversation off for as long as possible because he’s afraid of their reaction. Well, not Hannah’s, just his father’s, but Hannah can’t keep a secret to save her life so she still doesn’t know, either. 

Of course Darren’s still attracted to Chris -- he has been since day one. Their (horrible, nasty, gut-wrenching) breakup didn’t change that. And deep down, if Darren really thinks about it, he’s probably still in love with Chris -- pretty much always has been -- but he’s pushed those feelings so far down he’s not sure anymore. 

Thinking about having sex with Chris, _dreaming_ about it, was not part of the plan. Now it feels like an itch he can’t scratch -- and has absolutely no plans to, because that would definitely fuck things up. Probably. Maybe. 

“Ugh,” he grunts out loud, reaching for his phone. It’s almost five o’clock in the morning, but he’s still on London time and he has no idea what the fuck time his body thinks it is. There’s a text from Chris, though, sent hours ago -- Darren must’ve really been dead to the world to miss it -- and as soon as his sleep-deprived body fumbles for his glasses and reads the text, he almost drops the phone. 

**From Chris:** I wouldn’t have minded if you had stayed… you did say you’d help me out with anything I needed…

“Holy shit,” Darren says, rubbing his eyes to make sure he’s not seeing things. Apparently Chris is making it a habit to send surprising texts in the middle of the night. He almost responds, then remembers that Chris is definitely still asleep and will be for a few hours.

Darren ignores his dick, which is starting to get hard again, and just busies himself by staring at the ceiling. It’s definitely just the pregnancy hormones talking -- in the couple of months since Chris has been back in Darren’s life, he hasn’t given Darren _any_ inclination that he wanted anything… more, until today. They’ve even talked about how they do _not_ want to get back together. 

Except his brain… well, his dick -- mostly his dick -- reminds him that for a while, he and Chris did just fuck for the hell of it. 

“Shit,” he sighs, shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position that doesn’t rub his half-hard cock against the mattress or the sheets. He attempts thinking of random chord progressions to distract himself, because he absolutely _must_ stop thinking about having sex with Chris.


	3. Chapter 3

Darren doesn’t respond to Chris’s text when it becomes a reasonable hour. He doesn’t really know what to say. Once he’s up and showered and on his way over to Chris’s, he has half a mind to turn back around and tell Chris he’s not feeling well. That would make him an awful friend, because he _was_ just gone for a month and he was only over there for a few minutes yesterday. 

He tries to just… not think about it while he sits in traffic. He’s not a big fan of complicated and this sudden tension between them is definitely complicated. He’d brush it off as just being all in his head, if it weren’t for Chris’s text. 

Once he pulls into Chris’s driveway, he rubs his palms on his shorts -- sitting outside Chris’s house, waiting to go up, hasn’t made him nervous in _years_. 

Chris answers the door before Darren even has a chance to knock. They stand there, staring at each other for a beat before Chris whispers, “Dare.” 

Darren whimpers, letting the door close behind him. He hasn’t heard that nickname in over three years. He didn’t realize just how much he missed it until now, and it sends a jolt of _want_ through his body. 

They both step forward at the same time, and Darren flicks his gaze back and forth from Chris’s mouth to his eyes to try to gauge any hesitation before he wraps his arms around Chris’s shoulders, pulling him forward so their lips meet. 

Chris groans against Darren’s mouth, both hands going for the back of Darren’s head, fingers digging into his curls. The kiss turns dirty, fast, once Chris parts his lips and his tongue sneaks out, licking the seam of Darren’s lips. 

Darren happily opens his mouth, and it feels like an electric shock down his spine when Chris’s tongue presses against his own. “God,” he pants, starting to kiss down Chris’s jaw, the path so familiar to him even though it’s been so long. “Should we be doing this?” 

“Don’t think about it,” Chris orders, guiding Darren toward the stairs while he bends his head back slightly to give Darren better access. “Just want you.” 

The words go right to Darren’s cock, and he lets out a pathetic quiet whine when he has to stop kissing to navigate up the stairs. “Don’t want to do anything to hurt the baby,” Darren says, taking Chris’s hand and following him up the stairs. They certainly don’t need a repeat of when Chris first bought the house and they were making a valiant effort to christen _every_ surface until Chris badly sprained his ankle on these very stairs. 

“No, definitely not,” Chris says, almost taking the stairs two at a time in his haste to get to the top. “Fuck, Dare,” he breathes once he gets to the top, pressing Darren against the wall, his belly preventing Chris’s body from completely covering Darren’s. “Want you so bad. Need you to fuck me,” he says, eyes already lust-blown as he leans in for another kiss. 

Darren whimpers against Chris’s lips greedily, running his hands down Chris’s back to his ass, his cock throbbing at the idea of being inside Chris again. “Yeah, yeah… mmf, let’s do it,” he mumbles against Chris’s mouth. 

“C’mon,” Chris begs, tugging at the bottom of Darren’s t-shirt while he backs up toward his bedroom. “Fuck me.” 

There’s a slight hesitation when Darren steps foot into Chris’s bedroom -- the bed is still the same, and he couldn’t even attempt to count how many times they had fucked and slept there -- but when Chris starts pulling up Darren’s shirt, obstructing his view for just a second, he forgets about all of that and focuses on getting Chris naked, too. 

When Darren stumbles trying to get out of his shorts, Chris laughs as he grabs Darren’s elbows, trying to steady him. “Now, don’t kill yourself before we do this.” 

“Trying not to,” Darren says with a smile, then carefully helps Chris remove his clothes -- no tripping this time -- and they both climb onto the bed before frantically reaching for each other again. 

Before, they would fuck in whatever position they felt like in the moment, but now that they’re lying side by side, Darren’s mouth all over Chris’s neck and jaw, Darren realizes that most of those would be too taxing on Chris’s pregnant body now.. 

“How --” he starts, pausing to nibble on Chris’s earlobe, grinning when Chris moans and arches his neck closer. “How should we -- how do you --” 

“Uh,” Chris pants as his hand skims down Darren’s back, fingertips gripping into the flesh of Darren’s ass when he gets there. “Maybe… on my knees? I’m too big to be on my stomach. And fuck,” he says, hand trailing around Darren’s hip to grab his dick. “I need your cock, now.” 

“Fuck, fuck, okay --” Darren says, momentarily forgetting what he was doing when Chris starts stroking his cock. “Lube? Condoms?” 

Chris gives one last tug to Darren’s dick before sliding over just enough to get up on his hands and knees. “Same place, c’mon -- _hurry_.” 

Darren takes a second to glance over at Chris before he reaches for the nightstand drawer, and holy _shit_. He’s so fucking gorgeous with his tight, pert ass raised up in the air, his thick, hard dick hanging between his legs, and his stomach looks even bigger from this angle. “Fuck, you look good,” he says, finally tearing his eyes away to open the drawer and pull out the lube and a condom. 

They had stopped using condoms not long after they officially started dating. Darren _loves_ the mess and they were both clean, so Chris started to love the mess, too. But it’s been so long and they’ve both slept with other people, so it’s a must this time. 

When Chris lets out an impatient huff, Darren playfully swats him on the ass as he shuffles behind Chris’s hips. “Remember, we’re not as young as we used to be -- we move slower,” he says before letting out a groan as he splays his hands on Chris’s ass, spreading Chris’s cheeks to reveal his slightly furred asshole. “So sweet,” he murmurs to himself, brushing his thumb over Chris’s asshole. 

“This isn’t an art exhibit,” Chris says dryly, looking back at Darren. He wiggles his ass and eyes Darren’s dick. “I seem to remember -- _oh!_ ” 

Darren smirks as he sinks one lubed finger inside before quickly adding another. He definitely hasn’t forgotten how Chris likes to be stretched -- fast enough to feel it, but just slow enough for it not to hurt. “Someone’s impatient,” he says, the warm grip of Chris’s ass around his fingers making his cock ache and drip precome onto his thigh. It’s been… a while since he’s had any sex with someone other than himself, and _way_ too long since his partner has been Chris. Fuck, he’s missed this. “Shit, you feel good.” 

Chris moans and pushes his hips back, almost grinding against Darren’s fingers. “Oh god -- _yeah_ , this is… exactly what I needed. Damn, can’t wait for your cock.” 

A feeling of hesitance grips Darren momentarily -- he _knew_ this was going to happen as soon as he saw Chris’s text, but if he thinks about it, he knows they should stop. _He_ should stop. But just as that thought crosses his mind, he guides a third finger alongside his other two and all his dick wants to do is take their place. “Fuck, can’t wait to be inside you -- you’re so goddamn tight, Jesus.” 

Chris grunts and hangs his head as he moves his hips along with the thrusts of Darren’s fingers. “I’m ready,” he says, spreading his knees a little wider. “ _So_ ready.” 

When Darren slowly removes his fingers from Chris’s hole, he winces because he looks around and the only thing available for him to wipe the lube off is the sheets, which he knows Chris hates doing. The last thing he wants to do is leave Chris in bed, naked and ready, so he risks it and tears open the condom after cleaning his fingers enough so they can grip the latex. 

Once he has the condom on, he slicks himself up with more lube and moves up so he’s flush against the back of Chris’s thighs. He runs a finger around Chris’s slick hole, eliciting a moan from both himself and Chris. He’s glad he’s not a young kid anymore, because when he starts to push his cock inside, Chris is so _tight_ \-- years ago he probably would’ve come right away. 

“ _Yes_ ,” Chris moans, going down to his elbows as Darren sinks in further. “God yes, that’s it.” 

Darren’s eyes close as he slowly moves his hips forward, the rings of muscle inside Chris gripping his cock like a vice. “Fuck,” he mutters, hands resting on Chris’s waist as he bottoms out. It’s been so _long_ since he’s felt pleasure like this.

Chris has never wanted a moment to adjust, so Darren tightens his grip on Chris’s hips and pulls out almost all the way, only the tip of his dick still inside. When he opens his eyes and looks down, seeing Chris’s rim clasping his cock, everything wet and shining with lube, arousal lashes down his spine. He quickly snaps his hips forward, eyes rolling back at the feeling. 

“ _Oh_!” Chris shouts, his entire body jolting forward with Darren’s thrust. 

Darren starts to move with Chris, running his sweaty palms up Chris’s body until he’s leaning completely forward, his chest covering Chris’s back as he plants his hands on either side of Chris’s body, holding himself up.. “You feel --” he grunts, his ears filled with the noise of his body slapping against Chis’s. “So fucking good, fuck.” 

“Yeah, fuck me -- “ Chris moans. He lets out little gasps every time Darren fucks into him, his head tucked down with his hands tight in his hair. 

Darren’s stomach quivers as he spreads kisses along the back of Chris’s neck, starting to thrust slightly harder and faster. He can tell Chris is close, just by the way his body is tightening up beneath Darren. He’s almost there, too, but he desperately wants Chris to come first, because he loves just how fucking tight Chris squeezes around him when he orgasms. 

Balancing on one hand, Darren runs his other hand down Chris’s side, sweeping down over Chris’s swollen belly before he wraps his fingers around Chris’s cock. Chris is so thick and hard in his hand, Darren moans as he starts to stroke along with his thrusts. “Fuck, _Chris_ \-- “ 

“Shit _yes_ ,” Chris cries out, hand slapping forward against the headboard. 

Darren’s thrusts falter and he can feel his balls tighten, sweat beading across his forehead and temples. “C’mon, you can come. Come for me,” he grunts, focusing on tugging on Chris’s dick. 

Chris’s body is heaving underneath Darren. “Cl -- close,” he moans. “So fucking close -- _ah!_ ” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Darren chants, eyes squeezed shut as he tries to hold off just a little longer. “Come all over this belly,” he begs, tightening his grip on Chris’s cock as he strokes. 

“ _Yes!_ ” Chris shouts, his body clamping down _hard_ around Darren’s dick as he orgasms, streaks of come hitting the bed and the edge of his stomach. “Fuck, fuck, yes,” he whimpers, grinding his hips back against Darren, covering Darren’s hand with the last few weak jolts of come. 

That finally sends Darren over the edge as well, his orgasm feeling like it is drawing up from his toes, and he has to steady himself with both hands on the bed so he doesn’t crush Chris. “Oh fuck, oh _fuck_ ,” he moans, rocking Chris’s body forward slightly with one final push as he comes into the condom. 

They’re both breathing heavily, and when Darren goes to pull out, Chris whimpers softly before rolling over onto his side, away from the wet spot. “Shit,” Chris pants, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair. “Almost forgot how good it is with you.” 

Darren makes a noise of acknowledgement before he awkwardly shuffles off the bed and reaches for a couple tissues to dispose of the condom. Now that the adrenaline is fading and it’s starting to sink in what just happened… he’s beginning to feel regret. “Um, I’ll just -- “ he says, jerking his thumb toward the door after he hands Chris a few tissues to clean himself up. “I’ll just go, so you can nap.” 

Chris props himself up on one elbow and gives Darren a _look_ while he wipes off his belly. “You look like you’re still dead on your feet and you always fall asleep after sex. C’mon, we can both doze for a bit,” he says, tossing the dirty tissues into the garbage can by Darren’s feet before patting the bed. 

Darren hesitates briefly but it’s hard to resist Chris when he’s still all sex-flushed and naked. “Okay, but I’m not going to nap. My sleep schedule is fucked up as it is -- I still feel jet-lagged.” 

“Mhmm,” Chris says through a yawn. He already has his head on the pillow and his eyes are half closed. “When we wake up we can catch up on more TV.” 

*

Darren wakes when he goes to roll over and there’s something -- some _one_ \-- in the way. He jerks back, thankfully not waking Chris. He wasn’t supposed to fall asleep. _Fuck_. They’re both still naked, the sheet just barely coming up to Chris’s hips, and there’s just enough daylight peeking through the curtains for Darren to see Chris’s pregnant stomach. 

_Fuck_ , he just fucked Chris -- _Chris_ , who is carrying someone else’s baby. A feeling of panic grips his insides -- they can’t do… whatever this was. Knowing their history, it’ll lead to them getting back together and Darren doesn’t plan on being the kid’s other father. He needs to leave, _now_. 

As quietly as he can, he slips out of bed and finds his clothes -- piece by piece, because they ended up all over the bedroom floor. He waits until he’s out in the hallway to get dressed, crossing his fingers that Chris doesn’t wake up. Chris was always a fairly light sleeper, but Darren’s hoping the combination of being pregnant and the sex wore him out enough that he won’t be disturbed as Darren makes his way out of the house. 

He successfully finds his keys and his phone, and when he gets downstairs, Cooper raises his head in interest, only to resume his curled up sleepy position when he sees it’s just Darren. Darren breathes a sigh of relief, because if Cooper had gotten up and started barking, wanting to play, that definitely would’ve woken Chris up. 

Once he’s outside and in his car, he closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the steering wheel, letting out a breath he felt like he had be holding since the moment he woke up. What was he _thinking_? 

Chris has said -- repeatedly -- that he doesn’t expect Darren to be any sort of father figure to this child and has no desire for them to get back together. At all. They’re just friends. Friends who fuck (again), apparently, Darren thinks with a sigh and bangs his head on the steering wheel a couple times before leaning back and finally starting the car. 

As soon as Darren gets home, he sends Joey a text, begging to go out for a drink tonight. He hasn’t spent a whole lot of time with Joey over the past few years -- neither of their schedules ever seem to line up -- but Joey is one of the few that knows everything about Darren’s relationship with Chris, and Darren definitely needs an understanding ear tonight. 

Thankfully Joey is in town and is ready and willing for a night out, but that’s still hours away and Darren needs to do _something_ to keep himself distracted. 

He’s just starting to change into his running clothes when his phone chimes with a series of texts.

 **From Chris:** You didn’t have to run away.

 **From Chris:** It doesn’t have to mean anything. Just scratched an itch, like old times?

 **From Chris:** I’m going to watch all of this TV without you.

Darren tosses his phone down on the bed and finishes getting dressed. He can’t talk to Chris right now. He knows ignoring Chris makes him an asshole, but he’s not quite sure how he’s feeling right now. Responding would mean having to talk about it and that’s not something he can do at the moment. 

During his run he misses a few more texts. One from Joey, confirming where they’re meeting, and two from Chris, spaced out over most of Darren’s run. Darren can tell Chris is frustrated with being ignored, but he just can’t make himself return any of the messages. 

Chris seems to have given up, not sending any more texts the rest of the night, which makes it easier for Darren to down glass after glass of whiskey, spilling everything to Joey, from Chris’s initial text to how they ended up fucking today. 

When Darren finally finishes his story, Joey lets out a low whistle and takes another sip of his drink. “That’s a pretty fucked up situation you’ve got yourself into,” he says, nodding sagely. 

“No shit,” Darren says, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair. “I fucked up, man. Royally.” 

“Well, you did say he obviously wanted it, too. Maybe now that he’s _scratched that itch_ … you guys can move on like it never happened?” Joey suggests, pretty unhelpfully. 

Darren huffs out a laugh and scrubs his hands over his face. He’s fairly drunk and so is Joey, but he’s mostly sure he’s still thinking clearly. “Yeah, because that’s what we thought the first time we fucked. Look what happened there.” 

“So,” Joey shrugs, giving his glass a disappointed look when he lifts it to his mouth only to find out it’s empty. “There’s obviously still _something_ there between you two, dude. Maybe getting back together with him wouldn’t be as bad as you guys seem think it would be?”

“I can’t, Joey. I really can’t see myself being a dad to this kid,” Darren says, and his chest aches just thinking about it. Of course he had to tell Joey, none of this would’ve made sense if he left that detail out. Chris will be pissed if he finds out, but Darren knows Joey isn’t going to tell anyone about Chris’s pregnancy -- Darren trusts Joey with his life. “I’ve never really felt that _need_ people talk about when they talk about wanting kids, yanno? I just… ugh, I don’t know.” 

“I get it, man. I do,” Joey says, and it’s not surprising he shares Darren’s sentiments on parenthood. Joey hasn’t quite figured out how to be in a long-lasting relationship and hasn’t ever even gotten to the point where children would be given serious thought. “But, this is _Chris_ , man. He’s the love of your life -- don’t even try denying it -- don’t you think you’ll end up loving his kid, too?” 

Darren looks down at his hand, where he’s busy scratching along a pattern on the table with his nail. “I don’t know,” he sighs. “What if I’m just making this out to a bigger deal than it is? He doesn’t want to get back together with me -- maybe it _was_ a one time thing.” 

Joey gives Darren a _yeah, right_ look and claps his hand on Darren’s shoulder. “Ignoring his texts won’t help you figure this out. You need to talk to him.” 

Darren huffs out a laugh and shakes his head, his vision blurring slightly. “Not when I’m this drunk. I’d say something really stupid and he’d get pissed. Tomorrow, maybe.”

*

It’s been a while since Darren had been _that_ drunk and he certainly feels his age when it takes him almost two full days to get through his hangover. During that time, it’s radio silence from Chris, and Darren knows Chris has to be pissed off. Once he’s feeling human again, he finally sends Chris a text, asking if it’s okay for him to come over. 

**From Chris:** Sure, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.

Darren can hear the bite in Chris’s voice, just from reading the text. He winces and pockets his phone, planning on getting his ass in gear and leaving right away. He wants to get over to Chris’s house as quickly as possible. 

When he arrives, and Chris lets him in, his face is stoic, not giving Darren any clues as to how he’s feeling. There’s tension in the air right away, and unfortunately, not the good kind. Darren’s about to attempt to break the silence when Chris turns away and heads toward the living room. 

“These last couple of months almost had me forgetting how much of an asshole you can be,” Chris says, once he sits down on the couch, Cooper curled up at his feet. Chris doesn’t look at Darren, rather focuses his gaze at the window that looks out over the front yard. 

Darren frowns but makes a noise in agreement. He sits down in a chair opposite of the couch, since he’s pretty sure Chris doesn’t want to sit next to him right now. “I know, and I’m sorry, I just --” 

Chris cuts him off, holding his hand up. “We fucked, Darren. I was horny and you were willing. That’s it, it didn’t mean anything.” 

Even though that’s what Darren’s been trying to tell himself since it happened, it’s like a dagger to the chest hearing Chris say it. “Ouch, fuck. So it could’ve been anyone with a hard dick? Nice to know I mean so much to you.” 

“That is not -- “ Chris shakes his head and lets out a loud sigh. “You’re the one who skipped out when I was asleep and you haven’t answered a single text since.” He slowly runs his hand over his belly, which seems to have gotten even rounder over the past couple of days. “It’s not a big deal -- it was just sex.” 

“It’s never been _just_ sex with us, Chris, and you know that as well as I do,” Darren snaps, and he’s getting frustrated with Chris’s lack of eye contact. “I tried to question it -- but you just shut me up and it’s been obvious for years that I can’t turn you down.” 

“There wasn’t anything to question!” Chris says, throwing his hands up. “I had a need to satisfy, and you took care of it. I seem to remember you enjoying yourself, too.” 

Darren huffs and rolls his eyes. “Of course I did, it’s _you_ , Chris. It’s always good with you. But that doesn’t change the fact that it shouldn’t have happened. You’re pregnant with someone else’s kid!”

Chris’s mouth flattens into a straight line and he folds his arms over his chest, still not looking over at Darren. “Thanks for that delightful reminder, as if I had forgotten. Is that what this is about? The baby? Didn’t seem to bother you when you were fucking me.” 

“Of course it’s about the baby!” Darren exclaims, popping up out of the chair, feeling the anger and annoyance vibrating under his skin. “Fuck, Chris. We can’t do this! I don’t want to be a father to this kid!” 

“I wasn’t asking you to!” Chris shouts, and that’s what finally disturbs Cooper, who lets out a whine and looks up at Chris. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he says softly, reaching down to pet Cooper’s head. When Chris looks up, his eyes finally meet Darren’s. “Just because we fucked once doesn’t mean I changed my mind about getting back together -- get over yourself.” 

Darren runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. He _hates_ fighting with Chris, always has -- and this is just bringing back memories and opening up old wounds. “I need… I should get out of here,” he says, already turning toward the door. 

“Fine,” Chris says sharply. “Go.” 

Darren’s about to reach for the door handle when he hears a sniffle. He stops short, hand still reaching toward the knob. “Chris?”

“Just _go_ , Darren,” Chris says thickly, obviously crying. “Walk out again, and just leave me here to raise this kid all by myself.” He lets out a sharp sob, which makes Darren’s heart clench in his chest and he finally turns back around. “Oh god,” Chris moans, hunching over and covering his eyes with his hands. “I don’t want to do this all alone,” he cries, chest heaving. 

“No, no… hey,” Darren says, rushing over to Chris’s side. He tentatively holds his arms out, and Chris immediately collapses against him, his body shaking with how hard he’s crying. “Of course you aren’t going to be alone, that was just a fight,” he says, pressing a kiss to Chris’s forehead. 

Chris shakes his head and continues to sniffle and cry, his breath hitching once the harsh sobs have stopped. “I called my dad yesterday,” he says, swallowing thickly. “And he -- um, he wasn’t very happy. He’s never liked that I _could_ get pregnant, and now that I am… well, let’s just say there won’t be any trips to see Grandpa anytime soon.”

“He’ll come around,” Darren says quietly, brushing his fingers through Chris’s hair, even though he can start to feel his blood start to boil again. It had taken years for Chris’s dad to finally accept Darren as Chris’s boyfriend, he doesn’t want Chris to have to go through that all over again with his child.

“Maybe,” Chris says, shrugging half-heartedly. 

Darren’s about to say something else when Chris lets out a sudden wet laugh. Darren’s hand stills in Chris’s hair. “What’s so funny?” 

Chris sits up so he’s not leaning against Darren’s chest and wipes the tears from his eyes and cheeks. “Even though I’ve been sitting here, crying my eyes out, suddenly all I can think about is how badly I want to ride you into this couch.” 

“Um,” Darren says dumbly, his cock giving an interested twitch. “I thought we --” 

“Maybe, but…” Chris trails off, reaching over to trail his hand up Darren’s thigh. “What harm will one more time do?” 

Darren knew he was a goner the second Chris touched him, and he groans as he leans over and claims Chris’s mouth in a kiss. “Fine, okay. One more time. But as appealing as you riding me right here, right now sounds… that certainly exceeds _light activity_ ,” he says, standing and helping tug Chris up off the couch. “Upstairs, to bed.” 

*

Of course, it doesn’t end up being just _one_ more time. It seems like Chris is constantly horny, and Darren is pretty obviously willing, so they spend the next few weeks fucking, watching tv (which usually leads to more fucking), and ordering a shit ton of baby related things online. 

Darren never stays the night anymore, though. Not even in the guest room. They don’t talk about it, but every night that Darren is over, once Chris has fallen asleep, Darren sneaks out of bed and drives home. Falling asleep and waking up next to Chris… well, that’s too much like a relationship. This is just sex.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything changes the night before Chris’s twenty week ultrasound. Darren is over for their usual night of watching Netflix and ending up in Chris’s bed (even though now they’re pretty much restricted to having sex on their sides, with Darren spooned behind Chris, it’s still _fantastic_ ). It’s later than usual when Darren goes to leave (it was _really_ fantastic this time), but he’s right on the edge of falling asleep, so he definitely needs to get his ass moving. 

As soon as Darren rolls over, Chris’s hand lands on his arm. “Stay,” Chris whispers, fingers tightening. “You don’t have to leave.” 

“Um,” Darren says, trying to see Chris’s facial expression but it’s too dark in the bedroom. “But I -- we aren’t -- “ he says, trying to imply that the reason why he leaves is because they are clearly _not_ back together. 

“It’s okay, just stay, please?” Chris asks, tugging Darren closer. He guides Darren’s hand to his stomach, pressing Darren’s palm against his bare skin right below his navel. “Here, feel.”

Darren’s eyebrows scrunch together in confusion when all he feels is the stretched skin of Chris’s belly. He’s about to ask what he’s supposed to be looking for, when suddenly there’s a slight thump underneath his fingers, followed by another, and another. “What --?” 

“He or she is kicking,” Chris says, and Darren can hear the smile in Chris’s voice. “It started a couple weeks ago, but this is the first time I’ve been able to feel it from the outside.”

“Wow,” Darren says, awed. He shuffles down on the bed until he’s eye-level with Chris’s stomach. “Hi there,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry if my dick woke you up, but your Daddy was insisting --” 

“Darren!” Chris exclaims, a laugh bursting out of him. He tries to nudge Darren away, but Darren is stubborn. “You’re going to have to watch your language when he or she is born, I don’t want their first word to be _fuck_.” 

Darren presses a kiss right underneath Chris’s belly button before he thinks about it. It’s the first time he’s ever done that, and instead of panicking, he smiles to himself. “Yeah, don’t listen to Uncle Darren when you’re learning how to talk.” 

“Once we get to the point where they’re repeating everything they hear, you’re going to be walking around with duct tape over your mouth,” Chris says, tugging on Darren’s upper arm. “Come back up here before I forget I’m too tired to beg for a blowjob.” 

Darren snorts and kisses Chris’s stomach one more time before crawling back up to his pillow. “Are you… sure you want me to stay?”

Chris reaches out for Darren’s hand and intertwines their fingers before resting their joined hands against his chest. “You’ll just have to turn right back around to make it in time for my appointment. Just because we started sleeping together again doesn’t mean you need to stop staying over.” 

After yawning so hard his jaw cracks, Darren shifts a little closer to Chris -- close enough their bellies touch -- and closes his eyes. “I suppose you’re right. And tomorrow is a big day. We can finally stop guessing if it’s a girl or a boy.” 

Chris yawns too and squeezes Darren’s hand. “Mhmm, hopefully.” 

The last couple of ultrasounds hadn’t been very helpful, since the baby wasn’t cooperating and the nurse couldn’t tell if they were seeing a penis or not. Everyone is hoping that this time, they’ll be able to find out. 

It isn’t awkward in the morning, when Darren wakes up to Chris getting out of bed to pee. Darren’s chest doesn’t seize with anxiety when he remembers how he felt the baby kicking, and how he basically kissed Chris’s belly goodnight. Neither of them comment on how Darren is still there as they get ready to leave for Chris’s appointment -- it’s just nice. Normal, almost. 

Darren’s been in the room for all of the recent ultrasounds -- even though the 3D ones freak him out (the babies look like aliens) -- this one is no different. He can tell how excited Chris is to find out by how he’s almost squirming on the table. “Relax, your blood pressure was fine just now -- you don’t want to fuck that up.” 

Chris rolls his eyes. “I’ll be fine.” 

Thankfully, when the nurse comes in to do the scan, the baby is cooperating. She counts ten fingers and ten toes and there is most _definitely_ a penis. A cheer erupts from all of them. 

“Holy shit it’s a boy!” Darren says, just barely resisting grabbing Chris and kissing him, right there in front of the nurse. 

The nurse smiles as she cleans the goop off of Chris’s stomach. “So, any names picked out now that you know?” 

Chris has tears in his eyes and he’s just looking down at his big belly in awe. “A son, wow. Um… yeah, I have a few ideas. It might take me the rest of this pregnancy to figure it out, though. It’s a big decision!” 

“There’s always Blaine or Kurt,” Darren says, snorting and jumping out of the way when Chris goes to smack him. “Hey! Blaine is a good name!” 

Chris just glares at Darren while he tugs his shirt back on. “That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard. That’s almost as bad as Apple or North. Naming him after one of our characters? No thanks.” 

“I happen to think Blaine is a very good name,” the nurse says, giving both of them a smile before she leaves the room. 

“See?” Darren asks, pointing at the door. “She thought it was a good idea.” He knows full well it’s a _terrible_ idea, he just likes to be an asshole and get a rise out of Chris.

Chris shakes his head and eases himself off the exam table with Darren’s help. “That’s a resounding _no_ , Darren, sorry.” He slowly rubs a hand over his stomach, smiling to himself. “I kind of figured you were a boy.” 

*

When they get back to Chris’s house, Chris deposits himself on the couch, complaining of swollen ankles. Darren gathers all of the necessities -- Chris’s phone charger, laptop, and a bottle of water -- before settling down at the other end by Chris’s feet and pulling them into his lap. “I leave for Chicago next week,” he says, gently massaging the arches of Chris’s feet. 

Chris groans and leans his head back against the pillows. “That feels so good,” he says, eyes closing. “And it’s only for a few days -- you’ll be back here before you know it.” 

Darren just nods and focuses on what he’s doing. Part of him needs to get away for a couple of days, away from the confusing feelings. It’ll probably be good for him to clear his head. When he looks up, Chris is frowning at his phone. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“Just trying to figure out how to word this tweet,” Chris says, shrugging half-heartedly. “I think it’s time I make the announcement, so people stop thinking I’m dead or have fallen off the face of the earth. Alla said it was okay, I can’t keep this a secret much longer, anyway.” 

Darren knows how worried Chris is about going public with his pregnancy, but he also knows Chris can’t hide forever and is a little stir-crazy from only leaving the house to go to the doctor’s office. “It’ll be okay,” Darren says, reaching out and giving Chris’s thigh a squeeze of encouragement. “Times are changing. Maybe it won’t be as bad as you’re thinking it will be.” 

Chris inhales deeply as he looks nervously at his screen before tapping it once. “There. It’s out there. I just attached an image of today’s ultrasound and captioned it with _It’s a boy!_. I’m guessing they’ll be smart enough to figure it out.” 

“Okay, gimmie,” Darren says, reaching over for Chris’s phone. “All you’re going to do is stare at your notifications and that’ll _definitely_ fuck with your blood pressure. Not much you can do now but wait and see.” 

With a huff, Chris reluctantly surrenders his phone. “I could just look on my laptop, you know,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just need to make sure I didn’t just commit career suicide.”

“There’s no way that’s going to happen,” Darren says, continuing his massage of Chris’s feet and ankles to distract Chris. “Everyone loves you, Chris. They’ll support you, and your son.” 

A bright smile takes over Chris’s face and he shifts his arms down so they’re over his stomach. “You know, I told myself I wouldn’t care either way… but I’m so happy it’s a boy. What do you think about James, for a name?”

Darren’s hands still and he looks back up at Chris, eyebrow raised. “James, as in…?” 

Chris shrugs as his cheeks flush. “It’s kinda nerdy, I know -- and it’s been years since those books have come out -- at least I’m not thinking about naming him Harry.” 

“Harry Colfer does not sound right,” Darren says, shaking his head. “James Colfer, however… I think it has a nice ring to it.” 

“Yeah I thought so too,” Chris says, looking fondly down at his belly. “Are you a James? Hmm?” 

Cooper whines suddenly and gets up from his spot in the sun, trotting over to Chris and immediately nudging Chris’s arm with his nose. 

Darren laughs when Chris gives in and starts scratching behind Cooper’s ears. “He doesn’t like it when you use your baby voice on anyone but him.” 

“Clearly,” Chris says dryly, leaning over to kiss Cooper’s head. “Don’t worry, Daddy hasn’t forgotten about you,” he says, getting a lick to the cheek in response. 

“I don’t think he needs to worry about that,” Darren says, eyeing the giant brand-new dog bed that is surrounded by new toys and bones. “Obviously you got distracted when buying baby things.” 

Chris kisses Cooper’s head again and smiles at Darren. “Old dogs need new things, too. I don’t want him to feel neglected! Now, hand over my phone,” he says, reaching his arm out. “I can’t wait any longer.” 

*

Contrary to what Chris believed, his career clearly isn’t over. There’s an outpouring of support from… well, _most_ of his fans over the next few weeks -- the hashtag _#WeLoveChrisColfer_ trends worldwide for days after Chris’s tweet. When Darren was in Chicago, Chris found out that the studio had decided to go a different direction -- which was understandable; they didn’t want to delay filming for much longer, and Chris doesn’t want to go back to work until his son is at least six months old. 

That night, Chris had cried himself to sleep over the phone with Darren, who had felt helpless, being so far away. By the next morning, however, Chris had decided to not let that get him down, since his fans were being so wonderful. 

His book deal doesn’t get cancelled like Chris had feared, and a handful of talk shows reach out to Chris’s manager to try to book him. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as Chris sees it), Chris isn’t allowed to travel so he just declines all of the offers for now, not really wanting to parade his pregnant belly all over television and the internet. 

“Only three months left,” Chris says, groaning as he lowers himself into a chair at the kitchen table. “Can’t come fast enough.” 

Darren is busy finishing up dinner, but when he looks over his shoulder, he tries to suppress a laugh. Chris looks like a hot mess, having just woken up from a nap. An adorable hot mess, Darren’s helpful brain supplies, with his hair sticking out every which way and his stained t-shirt stretched thin over his ever-growing belly. “We need those three months. I still need to paint the nursery so we can start putting all the furniture together, and you need to decide on your lamaze and parenting classes.” 

“Ugh,” Chris grunts, rubbing his face with his hands. “I don’t want to go somewhere just to be gawked at -- not only am I, well… _me_ , but I’m also a guy. Those classes will be full of pregnant women.” He scrunches his nose and shakes his head. “No thank you.” 

“Well,” Darren says as he starts to drain the pasta. He’s not the greatest cook, but he at least knows how to boil noodles. “Sounds like you’re just going to have to pay someone to come here.” 

Chris lets out a long sigh. “I guess. Why can’t I just learn these things from YouTube?” 

Darren shrugs, concentrating on mixing up the spaghetti with the vegetables, meat, and sauce. “You probably could, but I don’t know how effective it would be if you don’t have someone available to answer your questions.” 

“That’s true,” Chris says, eying the bowls Darren is bringing to the table with a very hungry look. “Seeing as I feel like I have no fucking clue how to do any of this,” he says before digging into his dinner like he hadn’t just eaten a huge snack a few hours ago.

Darren’s used to Chris’s increased appetite by now -- years ago, Chris would forget to eat sometimes if he was busy writing or working but that is certainly not the case these days. “We have time, don’t worry.” 

*

“We should’ve hired someone for this,” Chris gumbles from the nursery doorway. Even though the window is open, Darren isn’t letting Chris inside the room while he paints. “You said you’ve done this before.” 

“I have, lots of times,” Darren says, ignoring how annoyed Chris is getting. Darren knows it’s just because he’s not allowed to help. “It’s going to look just fine,” he says as he carefully paints around the edge of the window. “Weren’t you busy writing?” 

Chris shrugs and squints as he leans in as far as he possibly can without actually being _in_ the room. “I could call the company I had paint the living room and kitchen when I first moved in,” Chris says, already pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

“Chris… no,” Darren says firmly, ditching his paintbrush and stepping down from the ladder. His hands aren’t filthy yet so he grabs Chris’s phone and puts it in his own back pocket. “I helped Chuck paint almost his whole fucking house. Trust me, I can do this. Do you want me to banish you to the living room until I’m done?” 

“No,” Chris huffs before he crosses his arms over his chest. “I just really hate not being able to help.” 

Darren smiles and nods understandingly. He relinquishes Chris’s phone and splays both hands over Chris’s big, round belly. “I know, but mister man in here wouldn’t appreciate the paint fumes,” he says, leaning in without thinking about it and pressing a kiss to Chris’s lips. When Chris makes a startled noise, Darren pulls back, his eyebrows arched in surprise. “Oh, shit. That was -- “ 

So far, they haven’t kissed other than when they’re fucking or about to fuck. 

It takes Chris a second to recover from the shock but then he’s shaking his head and reaching for Darren’s arm. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it” 

“It’s just you look so cute, standing there all frustrated,” Darren says with a flirty grin. He’s not sure what the hell he’s doing right now, but neither of them are running for the hills. 

Chris rolls his eyes even though his cheeks are turning pink. “I look like a whale -- there’s nothing cute about any of this,” he says, gesturing down at himself. 

“Hey now,” Darren says, resting his hands on Chris’s stomach again. “I won’t allow any of that sort of talk. You’re busy growing another human being -- and all that yoga you do is keeping you fit. If your doctor was worried about your weight, she’d say something.” 

“I know,” Chris says with a sigh. He looks down at himself and wiggles his toes. “I’m just almost at the point where I can’t see my feet and that’s depressing.”

Darren nudges Chris back out in the hallway. “You can see your feet just fine when you’re propped up on the couch, so you should go do just that. Get back to work so I can get back to work.” When Chris worries his lip between his teeth and glances back into the nursery, Darren pokes him in the side. “It’s going to look perfect,” Darren says with a playful sigh. “Don’t worry.” 

“Fine, okay,” Chris says, holding his arms up in surrender. “But if I hate it, I’m calling someone to repaint the whole thing.” 

*

Darren has to work around a few meetings, so it takes him a few days to finish painting -- but he even surprises himself with the end result. The room looks awesome with the different shades of blue he used, and he even added a _James_ wall cling in the space above where the crib will be. 

Chris cries when he sees it -- which would’ve been shocking, but Chris has gone from someone who hardly ever sheds a tear to crying over dog food commercials. It’s all part of the pregnancy that Darren has gotten used to. 

“It’s fantastic,” Chris says, sniffing as he blots under his eyes with a tissue. “I’m sorry I thought it was going to turn out awful.” 

Darren snorts and pulls Chris into the middle of the room. “Just picture it. The crib here, the changing table there, the glider there, and that disgustingly expensive bookshelf you bought right up against that wall.” 

“Hey!” Chris says indignantly. “No child of mine is going to grow up without real books. His dad is an author, after all.” 

“A multiple time _best-selling_ author,” Darren adds. 

Chris pulls Darren into a hug -- it’s awkward with Chris’s stomach in the way, but they manage. “Thank you. I know I keep saying this, but you don’t have to go through all this work.” 

Darren shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but inside his stomach suddenly feels like it’s full of butterflies. He certainly doesn’t _have_ to do all of this, but he definitely wants to. He hates to imagine what would’ve happened if Chris had never texted him and tried to do all of this on his own. “Just doing my job,” he says, stepping back away from Chris before he does something stupid like kissing him again. 

“Well, it looks great,” Chris says, surveying the space again. He walks over to the wall with the _James_ on it and slowly traces the letters with his fingers. “It’s all starting to feel even more real, now. He’s going to be here in just a couple of months.” 

“Yes,” Darren says, cooing at Chris’s belly. “You still have some time to cook so don’t even think about coming out early. I still have a lot of furniture to build.” 

Chris runs a hand over his stomach. “I’m doing everything I can to keep my blood pressure under control, so yes, you still need to stay in there a while, kiddo.”


	5. Chapter 5

There’s a problem, Darren discovers, helping with all of the necessary preparations for the baby’s arrival. He no longer grimaces at the idea of being around an infant -- instead, he’s started daydreaming about how it’ll feel to hold James in his arms as he rocks him back to sleep after a bottle. He’s also been dreaming that he and Chris are walking around the neighborhood, Darren pushing the stroller while Chris holds Cooper’s leash, when someone stops them and compliments them on how cute their kid and dog are.

 _Their_ kid. 

_Fuck._

They don’t have sex as often as they did when Chris was in his second trimester -- Chris claims he’s too big and too uncomfortable, so it’s trickled down to maybe once a week. Darren certainly isn’t complaining, though. They’re busy with getting the nursery set up to Chris’s standards, ordering more clothes and toys than James will ever need, and Chris’s personal birthing and parenting classes. 

If Darren’s completely honest with himself, he’s been… not necessarily _ignoring_ , but definitely not acknowledging his true feelings for Chris (and James). He rarely spends time at his own home -- somehow half of his things have ended up at Chris’s house. The guest room bed hasn’t been touched in ages, since Darren sleeps with Chris pretty much every night. It’s a good thing that Chris has a king sized bed because he sleeps with so many pillows right now to try to be comfortable, Darren wouldn’t have any room if the bed was any smaller. 

They’ve been kissing. Just like it used to be years ago -- in the morning when they wake up, periodically throughout the day, and before they fall asleep. It’s fucking with Darren’s head, because he doesn’t really know what the hell he’s doing. Does he really want to get back together with Chris? Does Chris want to get back together with him? What about James? 

Darren doesn’t have a fucking clue. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Chris asks as he waddles back from the bathroom. He grunts as he sits down on the couch next to Darren before twisting around and putting his legs in Darren’s lap. “Share with the class while you rub my feet?” 

Darren laughs and starts massaging the sole of Chris’s right foot. This has become their norm over the past week or so. Chris isn’t allowed to do much of anything, since he’s so close to his due date, other than get up to go to the restroom (which he does frequently) and bathe himself. “Just thinking about what song I’m going to sing to James tonight,” he lies, looking away from Chris. He’s always been a terrible liar, but especially with Chris. Chris always knows. 

Instead of having sex before bed, Darren has taken to sitting as close as he can to Chris’s belly and playing his guitar -- singing whatever comes to mind. Chris claims James loves it, because even when he’s being a nuisance and kicking like crazy, as soon as Darren starts to sing, he calms right down. “Sure, okay,” Chris says disbelievingly. “When you’re ready to tell me the truth, I’ll be here. Not exactly able to do much else.” 

Darren moves his hands to Chris’s other foot and looks over at him. “Won’t be much longer now. You’ll be back on that treadmill before you know it,” he says, trying to change the subject. He knows he needs to talk to Chris, but he doesn’t have a clue what to say. _Hi, I’ve been helping you throughout this whole pregnancy, and even though we swore off another relationship for good, I’m in love with you again?_ He’s not quite sure something like that would go over well at all. 

“Only a few weeks left,” Chris says as he runs his fingers down and around his stomach. “I feel like I’ve been pregnant for forever.” He moans and leans his head back when Darren hits a good spot between his toes. “Your hands are like magic.” 

“I do what I can,” Darren says, trying to ignore the noises Chris keeps making because his cock is making a valiant effort to get hard. “Clearly this is a ploy to butter you up before I ask you why haven’t you packed your hospital bag yet.” 

Chris groans -- and not in the good way. “I still have plenty of time! I wasn’t dilated even a little bit as of yesterday morning.” 

“And you can’t decide what outfit to pack to bring him home in,” Darren says, chuckling just thinking about how half of the well-organized newborn-sized clothes ended up in a heap on the floor the other day while Chris cried about not being able to decide which ones to bring with. 

“It’s a very important decision! He’s going to have all kinds of pictures taken of him that day -- he needs to look perfect,” Chris says, flapping his hands around as if he hasn’t already explained this to Darren. 

Darren knows just how to distract Chris, so he moves his hands up to Chris’s calf and starts rubbing. He also knows just how unpredictable pregnancies in men can be toward the end, so he’s pretty sure he’s going to end up packing the suitcase himself. “I wonder what Cooper is going to think when we bring James home,” he says, glancing over to where Cooper in a sunny spot on the floor, chewing on a bone. He doesn’t even notice the _we_ slip until it’s too late. 

“He’s been the only child around here for a couple of years now,” Chris says. “He’s just going to have to relearn what it’s like to not get all of Daddy’s attention.” 

Even though Chris’s pregnancy is public information now, Chris just doesn’t feel comfortable being around paparazzi while nine months pregnant. Darren has been the one to take Cooper for his walks. Most of Chris’s neighbors are other actors who are never home, so no one bothers them -- thankfully -- and Darren always spends the time talking to Cooper like he understands. He’s explained that babies are very fragile and require a lot of care, and he’s pretty sure Cooper has taken that information to heart. “As long as my allergy medication continues to do it’s job, I’ll keep taking care of him while you’re busy.” 

Chris gives Darren a smile and reaches out for Darren’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I’m sure he appreciates it,” Chris says, rubbing his thumb over Darren’s knuckles. “I can’t exactly play fetch or walk him around the block right now.” 

“Soon,” Darren says, imagining the four of them playing in Chris’s backyard. He ducks his head and smiles to himself because any thought like that used to scare him half to death, but now it makes him excited and happy. 

He just needs to figure out where Chris stands on all of this. 

*

There’s plenty of time to talk to Chris, but Darren doesn’t take advantage of any of it. He puts it off because he’s scared of what Chris may (or may not) say. He’s sort of terrified at the thought of entering a relationship with Chris again -- one that now will include a child -- but when he’s completely honest with himself, that’s what he wants. 

He wants Chris, for good. Not like last time when it was behind closed doors and Darren never had the balls to do anything about it -- that’s what eventually broke them up. With his new management team, Darren can do what he wants and that includes walking down Hollywood Boulevard holding Chris’s hand if he wanted to. 

Days pass, though, and he still hasn’t talked to Chris about it. One night, he promises himself that tomorrow will be _the_ day, but that all goes right to hell when Chris wakes him up at three in the morning, casually announcing that his water just broke when he got up to pee. 

“What?” Darren shouts, scrambling out of bed. His legs get trapped in the sheets and he almost falls face-first onto the floor before he recovers and scrambles around to Chris’s side. “It’s really fucking happening?” he asks, pulling Chris up to a standing position. “We need to get you to the hospital!” 

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Chris says. “But first I need to change and you need to put some clothes on.” 

Darren looks down at himself and realizes he’s standing there in his underwear and Chris is naked from the waist down. “What happened to your pants?” he asks dumbly.

Chris sighs and moves past Darren, over to his dresser. “I wasn’t exactly expecting my water to break,” he says, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and holding them out to Darren. “They’re in the laundry, so you need to help me get these on so we can get going.” 

Darren dutifully helps Chris into his pants before quickly getting dressed. “I’ll call your doctor on the way,” he says, grabbing the suitcase (that he eventually ended up packing) in one hand and Chris’s arm in the other. “Let’s get you down to the car.” 

“We have time,” Chris says as they make their way down the stairs. “My contractions are still pretty far apart.” 

“How far apart exactly?” Darren asks, just to make sure. Chris has been having periodic contractions over the past few days, but as his doctor assured them, that was normal leading up to actual labor. 

“Um,” Chris grunts, slowly making it down to the landing. “I’m not sure, I kept falling back asleep. No more than eight to ten minutes, though.” 

That means Darren doesn’t need to risk getting a speeding ticket on the way to the hospital, so that’s good. He briefly considers getting a police escort, but quickly dismisses that idea because Chris would fucking kill him for causing such a fuss. 

They still make it to the hospital in record time, and since Darren called ahead, there’s already a private room set up for Chris. “Dr. Smith is on her way,” the nurse says, handing Chris a gown. “Why don’t you get changed and I’ll be back in a few minutes to start your IV and hook your monitor up.” 

“Okay, great. Thanks,” Chris says as he grimaces through another contraction. “I’m going to need to some help with this,” he says to Darren once the nurse has left the room. 

Darren shoves the suitcase out of the way against the wall and takes the hospital gown from Chris. “Not a problem, that’s what I’m here for,” he says, already tugging Chris’s shirt up. “Just try not to break my hand when you’re pushing. James will be very upset if I can’t play guitar for him once he’s home.” 

Chris smiles as Darren tries to navigate which way the arms are supposed to go. “I’ll try not to. You might be on bedtime duty if he continues to like it as much outside as he did inside. I mean, that is -- I don’t mean to imply that you’ll be around _every_ night. Or any night, for that matter --” 

“Hey, shh,” Darren says softly before Chris works himself into a nervous frenzy. “We’ve needed to talk about… all of that for a while, but right now we have other things to worry about. Like figuring out how all of these fucking snaps are supposed to make an arm hole on this damn thing.”

Chris laughs and takes the gown from Darren just before he’s about to toss it to the floor. “Here, let me,” he says, easily putting it on how it’s supposed to go and pushing his pants down to his knees before he sits down on the edge of the bed. “Help,” he says, wiggling his toes. 

“Showoff,” Darren grumbles, but bends down to tug Chris’s sweatpants off anyway. He balls up Chris’s clothes and tosses them in a nearby chair before helping Chris lift his legs up onto the bed. “Okay, there we go. Comfortable?” 

Just as Darren asks that, Chris’s face twists in pain. “How soon do you think I can ask for an epidural?” he asks after the contraction passes, panting slightly.

Before Darren can answer, the nurse knocks on the door and peeks her head in. “All set? Did I hear someone ask for an epidural? I can get the anesthesiologist down here as soon as I get some fluids running and examine you, okay?” 

Darren goes around to the other side of the bed, pulls up the chair and sits down so he’s out of the way. “Good, great,” he says, reaching for Chris’s hand. “Won’t be much longer now.” 

Famous last words. 

Chris is in labor for _hours_. He was only two centimeters dilated when he first got to the hospital, so Dr. Smith wanted to wait on the epidural until he was at least four or five. 

Those three centimeters take a very _long_ six hours. 

“Finally,” Chris sighs, once the epidural is in and working. He closes his eyes but squeezes Darren’s hand. “I was really hoping he’d be here by now.” 

Darren tries to stifle a yawn but fails. “He’s sure taking his sweet time. Dr. Smith did say that a lot of men progress quite a bit faster after five. Hopefully that will happen with you?” 

“Let’s hope,” Chris says. He shifts his legs and makes a face. “Fuck, it’s weird for half of my body to be completely numb,” he says, looking at Darren with tired eyes. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep? It’s probably going to be another few hours, still.” 

When Darren goes to protest, Chris glares at him. “Fine, okay,” he says, acquiescing. He’s not in the most comfortable chair, but at least it leans back slightly. Ever since college, he’s been able to fall asleep just about anywhere. “I’ll just take a little catnap. You should, too.” 

Darren isn’t sure how long he sleeps, but he’s startled awake by people talking near him. “Wha -- what? Is it time yet?” 

“Nope, not quite yet,” a new nurse says, pulling off her gloves and disposing of them. “I’m Mary. I’m Chris’s nurse for the rest of the day. Chris? Let me know if you need anything… shouldn’t be much longer, now.” 

Darren rubs the sleep from his eyes and scoots back closer to the edge of Chris’s bed. “How far along are you now?” He grabs Chris’s hand again and brushes his thumb over Chris’s knuckles. 

“Eight centimeters,” Chris says with a tired sigh. “These last few contractions have felt pretty intense,” he says, rubbing a hand over his belly. 

“You’re not in any pain though, right? The epidural is still working?” Darren asks, eyebrows drawn together in concern. He knows there’s no way to avoid the agony of actual labor, but he wants to make sure Chris is as comfortable as possible until the time comes. 

Chris shakes his head and gives Darren’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Just feels… tight when it happens. But no, it doesn’t hurt.” 

“Good,” Darren says before leaning up, brushing Chris’s bangs off his forehead, and pressing a kiss to Chris’s lips. “Chris, I --” he starts as he sits back in his chair. “This definitely isn’t the best place, but I can’t let you go through this without, um,” he says, taking a deep breath and looking up at Chris. “Without telling you how much I love you.” 

“Oh, Darren,” Chris says softly, his eyes filling with tears.

It almost sounds like rejection, and Darren’s chest immediately starts to ache. “That doesn’t mean you have to -- I mean, we said we wouldn’t --” Darren babbles until Chris holds his hand up. 

Chris takes a deep breath before speaking. “Darren, I -- I love you, too. I’m fairly sure I never stopped. I just thought, with you being so anti-kids, that this could never happen again,” Chris says, before his lips purse and he looks down at his stomach. “There’s another one. I think they’re getting closer together.” 

Darren runs his fingers through his hair with his free hand. “Fuck, we shouldn’t be having this conversation, I’m sorry. You’re in fucking _labor_. You don’t need this shit right now.”

“I just… I have James to think about, too. When we broke up, it damn near killed me. I can’t put myself through that again,” Chris says, eyes searching Darren’s as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“It’s different now,” Darren says, kissing across Chris’s knuckles. “We’re getting older, Chris. It’s not like it used to be -- if you want to be with me, I will post on Twitter right now how happy I am to be your boyfriend again.” 

Chris lets out a watery laugh and squeezes Darren’s hand. “What about James?”

“I love him already and he’s not even here yet,” Darren says honestly, ducking his head when he starts to feel overwhelmed. “I don’t know what changed, or if it’s because I’m so in love with _you_ , but I love James. I want to be with both of you. As James’s Papa, too. I think… I want to adopt him.”

“Darren, oh my god,” Chris says, tugging on Darren’s hand so he looks back up at Chris. “Fuck, there’s another one,” he says with a slight grimace. “Shit, sorry. You’re probably right, this is not the best time for this, but when do we ever have good timing?” 

Darren shakes his head and reaches up to wipe the tears off of Chris’s cheek. “Never, that’s for damn sure. So, what do you think? Do you want the three of us to be a family?” 

“Four of us,” Chris corrects. “We can’t forget about Cooper,” he says, a bright smile spreading across his face. “God, I mean -- the last few months have been amazing, having you here. I don’t want to go back to the way it was -- I don’t want to lose you again.” 

“I will propose right here, right now if you want me to,” Darren says seriously, already sliding out of his chair and onto one knee. 

“Am I… interrupting something here?” Mary asks when she suddenly enters the room, glancing between Chris and Darren. “I need to check you again, Chris… but I can come back in a minute?” 

Chris rolls his eyes and attempts to tug Darren up off the floor. “No, you’re fine. My _boyfriend_ here is just being a moron,” he says lightly, then looks sternly at Darren. “Not in any realm of possibility are you going to ask me that when I’m about to have a baby, Darren.” 

Darren sees Mary’s eyes light up and he laughs as he gets back into his chair. “Fine, okay. I’ll think of something that’ll blow your socks off,” he says, looking at Chris hopefully. That wasn’t a _no_ , that was just a _not right now_. It’s fast -- it’s so fast, but it feels completely right. He wants this. 

“Good news,” Mary says as soon as she examines Chris. “You’re fully dilated! Let me just page your doctor and we can start pushing.” 

“Oh thank god,” Chris says, flopping back against his pillows. “Fuck, I feel like I’ve been in labor for _hours_.” 

“You have,” Darren says and for the first time since they arrived at the hospital, he’s filled with anxiety. Chris is about to have a _baby_. A baby that Darren wants to be a father to and help raise. Holy fucking shit. He never thought he’d end up _wanting_ that. 

Everything starts to happen so fast. Dr. Smith enters the room, along with a couple of other nurses, including Mary, and immediately starts setting things up. Darren doesn’t exactly want to _see_ the birth, so he stays up by Chris’s head and continues to hold his hand. 

“Ready to push?” Dr. Smith asks once she’s settled between Chris’s legs. 

After a good amount of swearing, a lot of pushing, and Darren reminding Chris to _not_ break his hand, James arrives. Healthy and screaming at the top of his lungs. 

“Oh my god he’s beautiful,” Chris says and starts crying again once Mary places James on Chris’s chest. “Hi James, welcome to the world!” 

Darren holds back his comments about how _gross _childbirth clearly is, because James is covered in… well, Darren doesn’t really want to think about it. “He is beautiful,” he says instead, his own eyes filling with tears just looking at the squirming baby Chris is holding.__

__“Would you like to cut the cord?” Dr. Smith asks, holding a pair of scissors for Darren to take._ _

__Darren’s eyes widen and he looks at Chris, his heart feeling like it’s in his throat. “Do you want me to?”_ _

__Chris can barely take his eyes of James, he only briefly flicks his gaze up at Darren before nodding and looking back down at his baby. “Of course you can. You’re going to be his other father, after all. If you’re sure you want this.”_ _

__As Darren carefully cuts the cord, he thinks about late night diaper changes and making bottles and sleepless nights and all of the bodily fluids that a baby can produce. For the first time in his life, he’s excited at the idea of all of it. He actually can’t wait. “I’m so fucking sure.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reblog on tumblr [here](http://controlofwhatido.tumblr.com/post/149715933050/fic-from-one-to-three-crisscolfer-nc-17%22)!


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